Rhonda Durant's dream HR job helps others dreams come true

Rhonda R. Durant, Human Resources Specialist, PBS Region 9 Support Team, San Francisco, California says, "GSA gives you lots of opportunities such as training and the chance to travel."
  • - Rhonda Durant had friends who worked at GSA, so she knew government service offered great opportunities for benefits, training and an exciting career.  However, getting a government job is easier said than done. She used to search in vain for positions at the agency. Then, in 2001, a friend at GSA told her of an opening. Rhonda applied and soon after, she came on board. “It’s a great place to start because GSA hires a lot of interns,” she says.  “They have a great program and really invest in their employees.”

  • - Today, Rhonda is a Human Resources Specialist responsible for helping the best and brightest join GSA’s world-class workforce. She focuses on staffing, recruitment, and benefits, and is a classifier, which puts her in a position to determine job title, series and grade for specific GSA occupations.

    Rhonda loves her job as a Human Resources Specialist at GSA.
    Rhonda loves her job as a Human Resources Specialist at GSA.
  • - Away from GSA, Rhonda focuses on helping her community.  As president of her local chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG), Rhonda is making a difference to those who need it most. “Our main focus is on children,” she says. “One of the bigger projects this chapter established was an annual fundraiser where the proceeds went to buy backpacks full of school supplies. We donated them to organizations that have children living in homeless shelters.”  Last year, her BIG chapter gave out 55 backpacks.

  • - Yet Rhonda’s efforts extend beyond backpacks. She recently spearheaded the local BIG fundraiser to send underprivileged children with sickle cell anemia to a special camp. “There are so many children out there who need help,” she says.

  • - Back at work, Rhonda never forgets how hard it was to land a job at GSA, and spends considerable time helping others who want to work at the agency. She’s helping develop a staffing manager’s handbook to guide managers on recruitment and how to bring in a new generation of workers to government so they, too, can enjoy the rewards of public service.

    Do you know someone we should feature in Faces of GSA? If so, please email steven.hoffman@gsa.gov the following information: nominee; job title; office/service/region; office phone; cell phone; Email; and a short paragraph on why this person should be featured on, "The Faces of GSA."
Last Reviewed 1/30/2009